The Luck O'The Irish
by Rhodsey
Summary: Aidan and Feryal are fitting in well at the Acolyte base until a certain Irishman drops into Bayville for an unexpected family reunion.
1. A Slight Problem

Chapter I: A Slight Problem

The sun was shining and there was freshly fallen snow on the ground. It was a beautiful day at Mt. Arrowrose. The ski lodge was filled with people ready to get their skis and hit the slopes. The slopes themselves were teaming with people, young and old.

In line for the ski lift were two familiar redheads.

"I hate snow," Aidan growled as the chair slid up behind her and St. John.

"Now why's 'at, love?" he asked, putting his arm around her.

"It's cold...and...snowy..." Aidan said, fumbling for good reasons to hate snow.

"But that's a good thing if ya wanna snowboard."

"But I _don't_ wanna snowboard," Aidan whined.

"Then why're ya here?" he asked, slightly miffed.

Aidan rolled her eyes. She loved him to death, but sometimes he had the memory of a goldfish. "Because it was your day to pick what we do."

"But snowboardin's fun!" John said, trying to get her a little more enthusiastic. "It's jus' like surfin' but without all 'at sand up y'bum."

Aidan smirked and they hopped off the lift.

No worries, Aidan. You'll get the hang of it. I promise." He reached down and checked his boots. "Now, make sure your boots're locked inta the board. Y'don' wanna lose it halfway down the slope, eh?"

Aidan checked her boots. "This is a bunny slope, right? I did tell you what happened in Iceland?"

"No worries," John repeated. "You'll be fine. I know what I'm doin'."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Aidan muttered, still looking at her feet.

"What's 'at, love?"

"I can't feel my nose…"

John smirked as Aidan stood up. "Try this," he said, putting his weight on his left foot and moving the snowboard side to side with his right foot.

Aidan tried and almost fell over. John caught her and she glared at him. "Next time, I get to pick what we do..."

* * *

Remy, Jennie, and Piotr were at the Acolyte base, watching TV. Piotr was kicked back in the Lay-Z-Boy, Remy was on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table, and Jennie was stretched out with her head on Remy's lap and her feet over the arm of the couch.

"You know..." Jennie muttered, "we've been watchin' a lotta TV lately. Y'think maybe we should do some training or something?"

"Shh," Remy said, turning up the volume, "not now, _chère_... Mebbe later... "

"Okay..." Jennie said, reaching for the popcorn.

Piotr pushed the footrest down. "I am going into town," he stated. "Do either of you want anything?"

"Pizza..." Remy and Jennie said in unison.

"And to drink?" Piotr asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Mountain Dew..." came the collective response.

"Why did I even ask...?"

Piotr went to his room and changed from his lounge pants into a pair of jeans, a blue ribbed T-shirt, and leather jacket. He walked back to the living room and put on his boots. "I am taking the Corvette. Any objections?"

Neither Remy nor Jennie turned their attention from the TV.

"I shall take that as a 'no'."

Piotr grabbed the keys from the key rack and headed to the (not so) secret underground garage. He pushed the little red button on the key ring and the ground to the left of the driveway lifted to reveal a set of garage doors. With another push of the red button, the garage doors lifted, revealing a 2004 black Corvette convertible. Piotr hopped behind the wheel and headed for Bayville.

* * *

St. John snowboarded gracefully down the slopes and slid to a stop at the bottom.

Aidan also snowboarded down the slopes, however, not as gracefully, and slid to a stop at the bottom on her butt. "I hate snow," she growled, "and I hate snowboarding and I hate skiing, and I hate snow!"

"Well, you ARE doin' a lot betta than when we started," St. John said, helping Aidan to her feet. "You only slid on your arse halfway this time."

"Oh, shut up," she whined, brushing snow from her butt.

"Y'wanna go home?" John asked, visibly upset.

Aidan didn't want to ruin his day. He had waited so long to go snowboarding. "No... but I'm gonna go to the lodge for some cocoa. I'll meet you in about an hour?"

St. John smiled. "Okay! See ya later, love!" And with that, he took off for the stunt slopes.

Aidan unhooked one of her boots and pushed off in the direction of the ski lodge.

By the time she reached the bottom of the ski lift, she had fallen six times, ran over approximately four small children, and set a garbage can on fire. Turning the corner at the bottom of the lift, she fell... again.

"I... hate... snow..." she growled for the hundredth time that day.

"Y'need a wee bit o'help, lass?" questioned an Irish voice.

Aidan looked up to discover the source of the voice. He was about 6'1", had green eyes, and auburn hair that was short and spiked.

"Yeah," Aidan said, "thanks." She reached up to take his outstretched hand and noticed the tiny 4-leaf clover tattooed between his thumb and forefinger.

"No problem," he said, pulling Aidan to her feet. "The name's O'Reilly. Sheridan O'Reilly."

"Aidan. Aidan Anderson."

"Well, top o'the mornin' to ya, Aidan," Sheridan said with a small smirk.

"You too," Aidan replied.

"Y'don't look like you're too comfortable in the snow," Sheridan stated, grabbing Aidan's arm as she faltered.

"I'm not... I'm actually heading in for some cocoa. Wanna join me?"

"Sure," Sheridan answered. "Y'look like you could use some more balance."

Sheridan helped Aidan to the lodge, and she turned in the snowboard. They then made their way to the snack bar, purchased two hot chocolates, and sat by the fireplace.

"So..." Aidan said, trying to make conversation, "you from Ireland?"

"What gave it away?" he smirked, which caused Aidan to giggle. "Sure am. Me sister 'n I just got back t'the States today. We're in t'see a few old friends."

"That's nice... How long are you staying?"

"Dunno. We haven't decided yet." Sheridan took a sip of his cocoa and then ran his hand through his hair. "Um, Aidan, I hope y'don't think me too farward, but if you're not doin' anythin' tomorrow night, maybe we could get dinner?"

"It sounds lovely," Aidan said, "but..."

"But?"

"But, I have a boyfriend," Aidan finished.

"Oh..." He turned his face away. "Faith, Sheridan! You're startin' t'lose it..."

Aidan smirked. "Lose what?"

"I'm sorry, lass," he apologized. "Normally I can tell which girls are spoken fer. I hope I didn't offend ya."

"Of course not," Aidan said. "Actually... if you want, you can join us and our housemates for dinner tomorrow."

"Really? Well, that's right kind of ye. Tomorrow night then?"

"Sure." Aidan reached into her pocket, pulled out a pen, and wrote her address on a napkin. "Seven o'clock okay?"

" 'Caurse it is." He read over the address and pocketed it. "I'll see you then."

"Okay," Aidan said, standing up, "bye." She walked for the door to find St. John.

Sheridan pulled the napkin from his pocket and reread the address. "My, my, O'Reilly, this is turnin' out t'be your lucky day."

* * *

Piotr stepped out of the pizzeria with more boxes than Kitty on a shopping spree. One box contained the pepperoni and cheese pizza for Remy and Jennie; another contained the BBQ chicken pizza for St. John and Aidan; a third contained the Meaty Supreme for him and Feryal. He also had four boxes of breadsticks: one plain, one with garlic, one with cheese and garlic, and one with cheese, garlic on the side. Hanging on each arm was a plastic bag, containing six salads: one with croutons, jalapenos, and French dressing; one with croutons and Ranch dressing; one with no croutons and Ranch dressing; one with no croutons, egg, extra carrot, and Bleu Cheese dressing; one with no croutons and Thousand Island dressing; and one plain salad.

Piotr stood on the curb and stared intently at the passenger door of the 'Vette. How the hell was he supposed to open it without dropping the food or tearing the car in half? This was going to be tough.

"Hey! Piotr!"

The shrieking voices of two X-girls pulled Piotr from his thoughts. He turned to see Kitty and Tabitha running down the sidewalk.

"Piotr, like, what are you doing here?" Kitty asked, skidding to a halt next to the parking meter.

"Yeah, Metal-Man," Tabitha added, "You havin' a party or is all that pizza just for you?"

"Actually it is my turn to make dinner tonight," Piotr clarified.

"But I thought you were, like, the best cook in Bayville," Kitty stated.

"I got lazy. So sue me."

Tabby laughed and elbowed Kitty. "Cute, funny, AND he cooks."

Kitty elbowed her back and then looked back to Piotr. "Why are you still outside? Your food's getting cold."

Piotr rolled his eyes, nodded to his bogged down arms, and then to the low- riding Corvette.

"Oh!" Kitty exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in understanding. She took a quick glance around, phased through the car, unlocked the door, and then opened it for him.

"Thank you," he said, placing the pizza boxes on top of the three cases of Mt. Dew.

"Boy," Tabitha said, eyeing up the soda, "you bought enough for a small village. The six of you sure do eat a lot."

"Actually," Piotr said, unloading the salads, "just Jennie and Pyro eat a lot."

"Speaking of," Kitty said, "how are Pyro and Firestorm?"

"Just fine, I assume. They went to Mt. Arrowrose today."

"Are they still, like, going out?" Kitty asked, almost giddy.

"Man, Kit," Tabitha said, "you just can't go without your daily dose of Bayville gossip, can you?"

"Absolutely not. Now tell me, Piotr, has it been over a month yet?"

"I am not certain. Are we talking about when she found him in the alley or when he almost killed her?"

"He almost killed her!" Kitty shrieked. "Oh my God, like when was this?"

"Come on, Kitty," Tabitha said, placing her hands on her hips, "that was when the Prof. found out that the shindig at the Car Yard was Jean's fault. You're slippin', girl."

"Oh, yeah... Right. I, like, so totally knew that!"

Piotr rolled his eyes. "Well, if that is all, I have five hungry partners to attend to."

"But don't you, like, wanna hear the latest?" Kitty blurted. "There's this new girl at the Institute and—" Tabitha pulled Kitty close and slapped her hand over Kitty's mouth. "Knock it off. You know the Prof. said to keep it quiet!" she whispered to Kitty.

Kitty moved her head, phasing it through Tabby's hand and whispered back, "But I just gotta tell someone! Besides, Piotr's so quiet. He won't tell..."

"Fine," Tabby said, releasing Kitty, "but if Chuckie finds out, I wasn't involved. I've been in enough trouble up till now."

Kitty straightened her sleeves and turned back to Piotr. "Like I was saying... there's this new girl at the Institute, and I know we're not s'posed ta talk about her, but I'm just, like, so excited."

"Giddy even..." Piotr muttered.

"Like, yeah!"

Piotr rolled his eyes again and Tabby tapped her foot impatiently as Kitty continued.

"Yeah, she, like, showed up at the mansion last night. She said she was looking for her brother. She can, like, mess with machinery. The Professor said it had something to do with electronic frequencies and stuff, but I wasn't really paying attention."

"What else is new?" Tabitha muttered.

Kitty glared at her and continued. "Her name's Carlin. She's from Ireland and is gonna be rooming with me and Rogue. Isn't that, like, so totally awesome!"

Piotr's eyes suddenly popped out of his head. "Did you say she was from Ireland?"

"Yeah, but she's like gonna be my new roommate. Isn't that the best?"

"And she has a brother?" Piotr's mind was racing. "Last name. Kitty, what was her last name?"

"I don't remember," Kitty paused and thought. "Something Irish... O'Kinney? No... O'Sullivan? Nope... Uh... O... O... O'Randall? Huh-uh..."

"O'Reilly?" Piotr asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" Kitty said.

"Wait a second," Tabitha said, narrowing her eyes at Piotr. "How did you know that? She's new here."

"I, uh, I..." Piotr took a deep breath and regained his composure. "I am deeply sorry, but I am afraid I must go. The pizza is getting cold, the soda is getting warm, and the salads are getting

soggy. And believe me there is nothing worse than a soggy salad. Excuse me, and good day to you, ladies." He quickly hopped behind the wheel and sped off, leaving Tabitha and Kitty in confusion.

"Well, that's the freakiest thing I've ever seen," Tabitha said.

"Yeah," Kitty agreed. "I've never seen Piotr like that before... You, like, don't think he'll tell, do you?"

Tabitha rolled her eyes and grabbed Kitty's arm. "C'mon, Kit, we're goin' home."

* * *

Aidan stood off to the side and watched as St. John tore up the slopes.

"Man," she muttered to herself as John did some weird back flip thing. "I wish I knew what that was called..."

He landed perfectly and slid up to her. "Did ya see that? Crickey, I nev'a cease t'amaze meself."

"Very nice, John," Aidan applauded.

"So, how was the cocoa?"

"Full of warm cocoa-ie goodness. I met someone new," Aidan said as she and John headed back to the lodge.

"Really? Who?"

"His name's Sheridan."

"Sheridan, eh?" St. John thought for a moment. "Ain't that a girlie name?"

"It goes both ways... Kinda like my name."

"Right... So, what'd you two talk about?"

"Oh, not much," Aidan said as St. John turned in the snowboard, "the cocoa, the weather, dinner tomorrow night..."

"What? Dinner? With anotha bloke?"

Aidan smirked at St. John's sudden flash of jealousy. "Almost. He's coming to our place to meet everybody. He's new here from Ireland."

"Oh, okay then, I—"

St. John suddenly stopped walking and seemed frozen in place with his mouth hanging open.

Great, Aidan thought, the last time this happened he didn't move for three hours. "Really, John," she said, dragging him to a bench and forcing him to sit, "you need to find better times to think."

BZZZT! BZZZT!

Aidan jumped as her coat began vibrating. She reached into the pocket and pulled out her cell phone. It was the car phone. She wondered who was calling her from the Corvette.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Aidan? Is St. John there? It is imperative that I speak with him." Piotr sounded upset.

"He's here in body, but not in mind."

"How is that any different form normal? Please, I must speak with him."

"No," Aidan corrected, "he's thinking. You know how he gets. He's like an old building: once there's an overload in the fuse box, the generator can only sustain so much. He might not move for another hour."

Piotr sighed and cursed in Russian. "Just get back to the base as quickly as possible."

"Okay."

"Bye."

The phone clicked off, and St. John clicked back on.

"Y'said 'Sheridan, from Ireland'?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"What was 'is last name?"

"O'Reilly... Why?"

"Bloody 'ell..."

"Piotr just called," Aidan said, confused by John's sudden wide-eyed look of terror.

"We need to go home," they said in unison.

"Gimme tha phone," John said urgently as he stood up and began walking.

"Careful," Aidan said. "Don't overwork your brain; I don't want you to stall again."

"Colossus?" St. John said into the phone. He listened attentively for about five minutes, nodding his head and muttering "yeahs", "rights", and a few "Good God no's".

"Both of 'em?" he asked the phone. "Jesus... we're in fer it now, Tin- Man."

"In for what?" Aidan asked.

John looked at Aidan and his eyes suddenly bugged out of his head. "Crickey, mate!" he yelped. "Aidan! Colossus, we gotta get Remy outta the house! Aidan! Dinner!"

"What about dinner?" Aidan stressed, getting angry that she wasn't being told what was going on. "And what about Remy?"

"Right-O, mate. Be home quicker than two shakes of a dingo's tail."

John hung up the phone, grabbed Aidan's arm, and dragged her to the Harley.

"John, what in the blue hell is going on!"

"Can't explain now, love. We gotta move!"

St. John and Aidan pulled into the driveway only seconds after Piotr.

"I hardly think you were driving the correct speed for the road conditions," Aidan said sarcastically as John jumped off the motorcycle and ran to the Corvette.

John skidded to a halt inches from the hood. Piotr opened the door and got out.

"What time tomorrow?" Piotr asked John.

"Good on ya, mate! Y'bought pizza!" John said, seeing the food and forgetting the urgency.

Piotr smacked him. "What time is Sheridan coming tomorrow?"

"Oh... Right! Sheridan! I, uh, I dunno. Aidan invited 'im."

Piotr turned to Aidan. "Time?"

"Seven. Seven o'clock," Aidan said. Piotr nodded and walked towards the back door. "Can someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?" Aidan yelled after him.

"No time, love," St. John said, grabbing her hand and pulling her after Colossus.

"No time?" Aidan questioned sarcastically. "Apparently we have 'til seven o'clock tomorrow."

Piotr peeked in the kitchen window. "The coast is clear. Jennie is at the table and Remy is nowhere in sight." Piotr tapped on the window. When Jennie looked up, he motioned for her to come outside.

Jennie pulled her coat off the wall rack and slipped on an old pair of Remy's Etnies. "What do you want?" she asked as the back door closed behind her. "It's, like, fifty-below zero out here, man."

Piotr leaned forward and everybody joined in the huddle. "I am afraid to inform you," Piotr began, "but there is trouble."

"Trouble?" Jennie asked. "What trouble?"

"Trouble of the Irish kind..." Piotr said, sounding like a Russian spy.

For a few seconds, Jennie thought that Pyro's insanity was becoming contagious. Then, her eyes grew as wide as saucers and her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp.

"Yep," St. John said, "the O'Reilly's are back in Bayville."

"Here is where the plot thickens," Piotr continued. "It seems that Sheridan has befriended our poor, ignorant Aidan—"

"Hey!" Aidan yelped defensively. "If you weirdoes would tell me what's going on, I wouldn't be

ignorant!"

"—and she has invited him to dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh my God," Jennie whispered. "We need to get Remy out of the house!"

"'ell, love," John said, "we thought it'd be best t'get the bloke outta tha country!"

"Okay, I get it," Aidan said. "Sheridan is an Irish assassin sent by some King of the Righteous to kill Remy and eliminate mutants."

"Worse..."

"What could be worse?"

"Sheridan stole Remy's old girlfriend."


	2. A Surprise

Chapter II: A Surprise

Feryal walked out of the movie theatre, surrounded by a seething mass of acne-covered thirteen-year-olds.

_God_, she thought, _what _is_ this? Middle school movie night? I bet half of those kids weren't even old enough to get in there!_

She held her half-full cup of Mountain Dew over her head as she tried to maneuver through the crowd. _Is it just me, or are teenagers getting shorter? I feel like I'm at a Chuck E. Cheese._

She finally broke free of the crowd and made her way over to the corner table in the food court. She curled her left leg under her body and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. She played with her straw and watched as the middle school monsters swarmed the McDonald's like a plague of locusts. _I just wanted to see the new Orlando Bloom flick and I get bombarded by the Harry Potter crowd!_

As she sucked down the rest of her drink, a flash of something green caught her eye. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the attention-grabbing color when she spotted him. He stood outside of the electronics store, leaning against the wall. He was tall; she guessed about six foot one. He was wearing a tight ribbed green sweater, khakis, and brown sandals. His short auburn hair was spiked up.

He looked around, checked his watch, and then walked away. Feryal was one of those people who didn't place too much stock in old wives' tales, and the adage 'curiosity killed the cat' held absolutely no meaning. She had never seen him before in Bayville… plus he was hot. So why not follow him?

She stood up from the table, tossed the empty cup in the trash and proceeded to stalk the sexy redhead up and down the mall. She followed him into Spencer's, American Eagle (God, she hated that store), Hot Topic (that was better), and J. C. Penny. After exiting Penny's, he took a seat on a bench next to the monster bubble gum machine.

Feryal smoothed her hair and strode over to the bench. She sat down on the other side, checked her watch, and crossed her legs. They sat in silence for a few moments before Feryal's curiosity kicked in again.

"Hi," she said, turning to face him. "My name's Feryal. Are you new here?"

He turned his head and smiled. "Aye. Just got into Bayville yesterday. By the way, name's Sheridan O'Reilly."

"Cool. Visiting family or something, or just on vacation?"

"A wee bit a'both."

"Oh… so where are you staying?"

"Actually, lass, I haven't quite secured a dwelling just yet. I'm in some sleazy ole motel on Main Street."

"Well, that sucks." Feryal thought for a moment. "How about you come 'n stay with me and my friends? We've got plenty of room and I don't think they'll mind… much."

"Well, that's right kind of ye. I thank you fer yer hospitality."

"No problem. Wanna go back to your place and get your stuff?"

"That'd be all right… But, ah, I've got a dinner appointment at seven t'night."

"That's fine. It's only six o'clock. You'll have plenty of time. I promise."

* * *

"Come on, Remy," Jennie pleaded, "let's go out tonight. We'll go bar-hopping and play pool and do a whole bunch of other stuff."

Remy leaned the recliner back farther. "Not t'night, _chère. _Gambit don feel like it. He had a rough day."

Jennie glanced at the clock. Six p.m. They were running out of time. "But what better way to unwind after such a hard day than having a nice tall glass of beer and playing a little pool to ease your mind?"

Remy closed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. "_Non_…"

Jennie pouted. This was going to be harder than she thought. She walked into the kitchen where Piotr, John, and Aidan were seated around the table. "I give up. He won't budge."

"Mebbe I oughta light a fire unda his arse." John was half sarcastic and half serious.

"I'm thikin' about lettin' ya." Jennie was completely serious. She sat down next to Aidan and her head hit the table with a thud. "Now what?"

"I phoned the Boston Market," Piotr said. "Dinner should be here in ten minutes."

"You're startin' to get lazy in the kitchen, there, Pete," Aidan said.

Piotr's face turned red. "For the two millionth time, my name is not Pete. And I would like to see you explain to everybody's favorite Ragin' Cajun why the Russian is preparing a four course meal on a Tuesday night. I'm sure that would have gone over like a lead balloon."

"No need t'bite the sheila's head off, mate," John said, jumping to his girlfriend's defense. "We're all a bit jumpy."

Piotr huffed and puffed. "I am sorry."

"No problem, Petey," Aidan smirked.

"I swear to God if you were not a girl, I would hit you…" Piotr muttered under his breath.

"So now what?" Aidan asked.

"Hey, everybody!" Feryal's voice echoed from the living room. "Look what I found!"

Aidan, John, Jennie, and Piotr walked to the archway that separated the kitchen and living room.

Feryal stood in the doorway with a tall, auburn-haired, green-eyed, handsome man. Remy was still in the Lay-Z-Boy, his eyes still closed.

Aidan half-smirked and waved at Sheridan. He mouthed the word 'hi' and waved back.

"Everybody," Feryal stated, closing the door, "this is—" She was cut off by a blast of water to her face. "Jennie! What the hell'd ya do that for!" she snapped.

Jennie walked across the room and grabbed Feryal by the elbow. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jennie demanded, ushering Feryal to John's room.

"Well, 'at's a right good way t'start a party," John said.

"Aye, right," Sheridan agreed.

At the slightest hint of Sheridan's accent, Remy's eyes shot open. "What in da—"

Remy stood up from the Lay-Z-Boy, and turned toward the voice. "What're you doin' in Remy's house, _homme_? Y'know betta…"

Well, g'd eve'nin t'ya, Remy," Sheridan smiled. "Long time, no see, eh?"

"Remy gon' give ya ta the count 'a three t'get your lyin', cheatin', no good Irish ass outta his house." Remy pulled a card out of his trench coat pocked. "One…"

"I see y'din'na take me advice 'bout tryin' a new look, Rem. That trench coat…" He shook his head.

Remy's eyes began to glow with anger and he charged another card. "Two…"

"I can'na imagine what such a scoundrel like ye are doin' with three lovely young lasses. I'm sure they'd all up 'n leave ya like the first."

Remy bared his teeth and pulled out another card. "Thr—"

"Hang on a second, Swamp Rat," Jennie said, grabbing Remy's arm. "This is _our_ house, and I don't appreciate you blowin' the hell out of it."

"Yes," Piotr chimed in, "especially since I just got done redecorating."

"Now's not da time, _chère_," Remy said, his eyes still glued on Sheridan, who hadn't moved a muscle.

"If Gambit gonna beat some ass," Jennie half-mocked, "he gon' do it outside."

She released his wrist and he lowered the cards, un-charging them in the process. "Da _fille's_ right," he said to Sheridan. "We be men 'bout dis t'ing and not fight in fronta da ladies. Step outside, _mon ami_."


	3. A Little Fight

Chapter III: A Little Fight

Aidan plopped down next to Feryal and John on the patio. "Have they started yet? I brought the popcorn."

"Double butter?" Feryal asked.

"You betcha."

"Goodie." Feryal stuffed her hand into the bowl.

"Y'sheilas are ridiculous," John said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Y'know, Aidan, this _is_ all your fault."

"Oh, chill out, John," Aidan said, rolling her eyes. "I brought you some Twizzlers."

John's face lit up. "Good on ya!" He snatched the bag from Aidan's hand and stuffed a twist in his mouth. "That's me sheila."

Piotr and Jennie stood on the patio steps and watched as Remy and Sheridan circled each other in the backyard.

"Y'can jus' fahrget about winnin' this wee scuffle. Y'know it'll turn out jus' like it did last time."

"_Non_, Gambit been practicin'."

"Faith! I hope y'don't think that'll save ya!"

Gambit tossed an arsenal of cards toward Sheridan, who quickly dodged them, seeming to know which way Gambit would throw them.

Aidan leaned toward St. John on the patio. "So what's this guy's power anyway? I mean, assuming he's even a mutant."

"Oh, 'e's a mutant all right. O'Reilly there is one bugger of a mutant."

"Is he clairvoyant or is Remy just that predictable?" Feryal asked as Sheridan dodged another onslaught of energized cards.

"Remy's just that predictable," Jennie said over her shoulder.

"Oh." Feryal stuffed more popcorn in her mouth.

"Aye, right," Sheridan said, sarcastically. "I can tell y've been practicin'. Yer almost gettin' close t'hittin' me…"

Gambit whipped out he staff and swept Sheridan's feet from under him. "_C'est la vie, mon ami_."

Gambit snickered and leaned on his staff while Sheridan recuperated from having the wind knocked out of him.

Suddenly, in the middle of Gambit's snicker, he dropped the staff and clutched his face.

"Damn you, O'Reilly!" he yelled as Aidan and Feryal's mouths dropped open on the patio. "Give Gambit back his eyesight. Dat ain't fair!"

Sheridan stood and picked up the staff. "Since when is a thief in'trested in fair play?"

He swung the staff at Gambit's head, but Gambit jumped out of the way.

"Gambit may be a T'ief, but Gambit got honor; he don't swing at a blind man…"

"Aye, that may be true, but yer still a rascal." Sheridan swung again and Gambit dodged.

* * *

Over at the Institute, Kitty was showing her new roommate around.

"And this is our room," she said, opening the door to reveal a fairly large dorm room with three beds. It was easy to tell which bed belonged to Kitty; the fluffy pink comforter and stuffed animals gave it away. But the other bed…

"So, like, what do you think?"

"Well, eh, tis a bit t'be gettin' used to," Carlin O'Reilly replied.

"I know what you mean," Kitty said, flopping onto her bed. "When I, like, first came to the Institute, it was really overwhelming. I, like, didn't know anybody or even—"

"Sorry t'interrupt ye, but may I ask who else is roomin' with us?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Rogue's bed, but don't worry, she's not that hard to get along with anymore. She used to be, like, all quiet and secretive and stuff, but she's totally cool now… Well, not _totally_ cool. She gets moody sometimes, but I say it's just, like, her powers acting up, you know?"

"I can'na imagine…" Carlin said. Apparently Kitty didn't recognize her or forgot completely about what happened before. Although she was leaning towards the 'forgot completely' bit, Carlin figured it was a recognition issue. When Carlin had been in Bayville before, she had brown hair, she was a lot heavier and less muscular, and was going by Kenzie, her middle name.

"So, like, what exactly are your powers?" Kitty asked. "The Professor tried to explain them to me, but I, like, didn't really get it."

"Is that your TV?" Carlin asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Kitty answered, not sure how the T.V. pertained to Carlin's powers.

"Watch…" Carlin said. Suddenly, the TV popped on and started changing channels.

"Cool!" Kitty exclaimed. "You're, like, a human remote!"

"Uh, yeah," Carlin said, "but not jus' a remote. I can manipulate all kinds a'machinery."

"Really? Whoa! That is, like, so totally awesome."

"T'wasn't that awesome when it fahrst stared," Carlin muttered, plopping onto her plain white bed. "Every time I'd pass somethin' electric, it would just explode t'smitherines."

"Whoa, that musta sucked…"

"Aye, yer tellin' me! We need a new toaster every three days."

Kitty giggled and Carlin's ears rang. She was trying so hard to have a civil conversation, but Kitty's voice was excruciating.

"Well, eh, I better be goin' now." Carlin stood up. "I wanna wander 'round the mansion fer a wee bit."

"You want me to, like, give you a tour?" Kitty asked excitedly.

"Nay, that's all right," Carlin said hastily, holding up her hands and backing towards the door. "I wanna check it out fer meself."

"All right, then. The Prof usually has dinner set for, like, seven, so you got about a half hour till you gotta meet everybody."

"Got it." Carlin closed the door behind her.

* * *

"Why are you guys even fighting!" Jennie yelled form the patio. "It's been two years. Drop it already."

Gambit was in a ball on the ground and Sheridan stood over him with the bo-staff. Sheridan raised the staff and swung downward. Gambit rolled out of the way.

"I'm gonna stop this," Aidan said. "This is ridiculous. They've been at it for thirty minutes and Remy hasn't gotten one lick in yet. We're a team, right?"

"I, em, I wouldn't do that, sheila," St. John said as Aidan stood up.

Aidan walked over to the patio railing, her eyes glowing red on black. A small line of fire began to circle Sheridan. It grew until it became a wall, and then a dome, completely covering him.

"That should hold him until he cools off," Aidan said.

Suddenly, Sheridan emerged from the ring of fire.

"What the—!" Aidan was astonished. "He just walked through fire, man!"

Sheridan walked closer to Aidan and she sprayed fire at him from her palms. As Sheridan got closer, Aidan's palms got hotter and hotter and a redness flushed her cheeks. She felt as if she was standing next to a blazing bonfire. With Sheridan only four feet away, the heat became too much and Aidan stopped, running behind John.

"Put me out!" she yelled. "I'm on fire! Put me out!"

"Sheila, calm down," John said, soothingly.

"Whaddaya mean 'calm down'? I'm on fire!" she yelled back, flapping her arms around frantically.

"Yer not on fire," John reassured her.

"I'm burning up! I have to be on fire!"

"You're pyrokinetic," Feryal piped up, "turn it off."

"I can't or I would've done it by now! John, dammit, put me out!" Aidan fell to the ground. "Stop, drop, and roll!"

"Dammit, O'Reilly!" John yelled, "leave the sheila alone!''

Sheridan smirked, but was suddenly knocked to the ground by a rampaging Gambit.

"Ya can't control more dan one at a time," Gambit sneered. "Ya forgot about Gambit's eyes, _mon ami_."

"Aye, so I did," Sheridan said from the ground.

"Just what the hell is this guy's power anyway!" Aidan yelped, sticking her head above the table.

Colossus, fully metaled, stepped between Gambit and Sheridan, and Jennie helped Sheridan stand.

"His name's Sensation," Jennie answered. "He can control the five senses."

"But not more than one sense at a time," Colossus interjected.

"Aye," Sheridan confirmed. "Somethin' I'll have t'be workin' on in the future…"

"If ya got a future," Gambit growled.

"And what's that s'posed t'mean, there, Rem?" Sheridan asked, peeking through Colossus's elbow and side. "I believe that tussle was in my favor befahr that lit'le distraction."

"What do you mean '_little_ distraction'?" Aidan yelled, insulted.

"Only cuz ya took away Gambit's eyesight! If Gambit had a chance he woulda—"

"Crimeny! Would you two shut up!" Jennie yelled. "You're acting like two year olds."

"But, _chère_, what about—"

"About what, Remy? I thought you were over her," Jennie barked.

"Over who?" Feryal whispered to Aidan, who shrugged.

"I am, _chère_, but—"

"No buts, Remy. If you _are_ over her, why this big fiasco? Huh?" Jennie asked, her hands held up in a shrug.

Remy didn't answer.

Jennie's hands dropped to her side. "I thought so…" She turned and went into the house.

"Come back, _chère_," Remy said, chasing Jennie up the patio steps.

Sheridan looked at St. John and Piotr, who had de-metaled. "I believe, we've got a wee bit 'a trouble in paradise…"

"You're telling me," Piotr responded.

John looked at Aidan and Feryal and then to Sheridan and Piotr. He held up the bag of licorice. "Twizzler?"


	4. A Little Information

Chapter IV:A Little Information

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Jennie's door slammed shut, followed a millisecond later by Remy's door.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?" Feryal asked from her spot on the couch.

"This is gonna be worse than bad, Sheila," John answered, rocking back and forth in the Lay-Z-Boy.

"Yeah," Aidan agreed. "They haven't been this mad at each other since that time Remy forgot their anniversary."

"So, exactly what's going on here?" Feryal asked. "Who's Remy supposed to be over and why is this Sensation guy causing such a tizzy?"

"Well, em," John started, "the Tin Man 'n I don't exactly know the _whole_ story…"

Everyone glanced over at Sheridan, who was tied up in the corner in one of Feryal's thread-ropes with a strip of duct tape over his mouth.

"Gawd, do we have to untie him?" Feryal inquired. "I was just beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet…"

* * *

Carlin walked slowly through the corridors of the lower levels of the Institute. She was surprised she hadn't run into anyone yet. Perhaps they were all upstairs getting ready for dinner. Carlin stopped and peeked her head around the corner.

Another security camera.

Carlin squinted her eyes and walked down the corridor, focusing her energy on the camera.

_Wonder 'ho in their right mind would sit in a dingy lit'le room, watchin' these cam'ras_, Carlin thought. _Must be a sad, pathetic life…_

* * *

Upstairs in the video surveillance room, Bobby picked his nose and then spun around in the swivel chair. Meanwhile, the camera poised above the corridor showed no sign of Carlin as she walked past.

_That seemed a wee bit too easy_, Carlin thought, rounding the next corner. _It's got t'be 'round here somewhere…_

She turned the next corner and stopped in her tracks. There it was. The big round door gave it away. No other door in the mansion looked like that. She walked closer and noticed the retinal scan.

_Faith! 'N now I afta go back through all 'em cam'ras. Thar's no way fer me t'manipulate a retinal scan…_

_Well, then, I guess I'll just hafta figure out another way t'get inta Cerebro…_

* * *

"Hang on a sec before you untie him," Aidan said. "John, you and Piotr tell us what you know first."

"Y'sure, love? Y'know 'ow me mem'ry gets sometimes…"

"It's all right, John. If you mess up, Piotr'll help you," Aidan assured.

"Yeah," Feryal agreed. "I wanna know what the hell's goin' on!"

"Alrighty then… Em… I guess it all started when Remy 'n Rogue broke up—"

"Whoa!" Aidan yelped. "Remy and _Rogue?_!"

Feryal's mouth dropped to the floor and her eyes bugged out of her head.

Piotr patted her lightly on the shoulder. "I know. It is a little shocking at first… Just breathe…"

"Yeah," John confirmed. "They got inta a fight about somethin' 'n Remy went packin'. He left the mansion for about—"

"The mansion!" Aidan yelped again.

"Yes," Piotr said. "He was an X-Man originally."

John nodded toward Sheridan. "'N 'at's when this bloke 'ere decided t'show up 'n muck around with things. Only two days afta Remy 'n Rogue I sets me eyes on that bloke 'n 'er at the Bayville Mall… _holdin' hands_. No gloves'r anythin'."

"Well, how's that possible?" Aidan asked. "Wouldn't Rogue have sucked the life right outta him?"

"Well, 'at's what I thought, but I still 'aven't figgered it out. Then that night at Mag's base this lit'le Sheila shows up lookin' fer Jennie. Said she was 'er pen pal. 'Ow the hell she even found the base was beyond me. Jennie didn't come back 'at night, so Mags sent me 'n Tin Grin out lookin' for 'er. Well, we ended up findin' 'er—with Gambit."

"So, this is when they hooked up?" Aidan asked, trying to follow along.

"Close," Piotr chimed in. "There is still a lot more to come."

"Remy talked Jennie inta joinin' the X-Men," John continued. "This is where my end gets a lit'le sketchy. After a week, Jennie shows up back at the base—with Gambit. The poor bloke was beat all t'hell—but I don't think 'e'd want me usin' that description." John thought for a moment. "He was 'urt bad! 'Is leg was 'angin' off an—"

"We get it, John," Aidan interrupted. "Please continue."

"Right. Jennie took care 'a Remy 'n nursed 'im back t'health. 'At's when he decided t'join up with us."

Now Aidan's mouth was on the floor with Feryal's. "So Remy and Jennie hooked up ala Florence Nightingale?"

"Yes," Piotr said. "In layman's terms: Had Remy not gotten his ass kicked, he and Jennie would not be."

Feryal shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Remy and **_ROGUE_**!"


	5. Another Point of View

Chapter V: Another Point of View

"Remy and **_ROGUE_**!"

Feryal's mouth was hanging to the floor.

"Close your mouth," Piotr instructed. "You are catching flies."

Feryal slowly closed her mouth and composed herself. "OK, now that the shock has passed… if Remy and Rogue are over and done with, how come he got so P.O.'d when this guy showed up?" She hiked her thumb in Sheridan's general direction.

"That would probably be the reason Jennie slammed her door in Remy's face," Aidan pointed out.

"Ah… point taken," Feryal acknowledged, leaning back into the couch.

"Well, Remy's always been a jealous bloke," St. John said.

"Mm-hmmm," came Sheridan's muffled agreement.

" 'Ey! Nobody asked you, y'bugger!" John snapped.

Sheridan rolled his eyes and tried to throw John a look, but was hampered slightly by his duct tape gag.

"You think we should let him talk?" Feryal asked.

"No, no. Absolutely not. No way," John ranted while Sheridan nodded his head vigorously behind John's back.

"I think we should," Aidan said, standing. "You said so yourself, John, that your side of the story was a little sketchy. Maybe everyone's favorite Irishman can shed some light on this dimly lit subject."

She walked over to Sheridan and unceremoniously jerked the tape off of his face.

He cried out in pain. "Faith, lass! Y'bout ripped tha hair right out me chin, y'did!"

"That was for walking through my fire," Aidan said, messing up his hair.

" 'N I suppose that was fahr usin' me powers on ye."

"No, I just like to do this," she said, avoiding a jealous look from John as she messed up Sheridan's hair again.

"Right then," Sheridan said, moving his jaw around trying to get the tingling to stop. "Yer part right, there, boyo, but it din'na quite go down the way ye described."

"Boyo…" John muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch.

Aidan rolled her eyes and patted St. John on the arm as Sheridan continued.

"So what _did_ happen?" Feryal asked, poised on the edge of her seat.

"Aye, the story…" Sheridan shifted in his thread-trap until he was able to look at everybody in the room. "Well, Johnny Boy's right about the Remy 'n Rogue shenanigans. Basically they broke up over me."

"Oh, do not gloat," Piotr said, rolling his eyes. He directed his next comment to Aidan. "He thinks he is hot stuff…"

"Rhally, i'tis," Sheridan persisted. "I thought Rogue was beautiful that fahrst time I set me eyes on the lass, 'n then I found out about hahr 'n Rem. 'Bout broke my heart. My intentions were nev'a t'break 'em up, but the lass 'n I got on like a house on fire.

"'Pahrently Rem thought his girl was spendin' a wee too much time with a shaper like me. They broke up."

"Next comes the part with the 'holding hands,' right?" Feryal asked, overenthusiastically.

"Aye. T'was our fahrst date."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Aidan cut in. "Back up the potato wagon. How could you hold hands with Rogue and not die? You got some kind of death wish?"

"Bloke's prob'ly a kinky son-of-a—"

Aidan smacked John on the leg before he could complete the obscenity.

"You're close, boyo," Sheridan said with a wink, "but not quite right. It's part 'a me powers. Usin' em on Rogue just basically voids hahr powers. If I warn't usin' em, she'd get a wee bit'a me mem'ries, but not my lifefahrce."

"So this goes for _any_ kind of touching?" Aidan asked.

Sheridan nodded.

"You mean, like, kissing and stuff too?" Feryal's eyes bugged out of her head.

"Aye. Then Rem started t'get jealous. He wanted hahr back, but she was just so overjoyed at not puttin' me in a coma.

"About a few days later, that's when Remy 'n Jen had their ONS."

"O-N-S?" Piotr questioned.

"One Night Stand," Aidan and Feryal clarified in unison.

"'Ey!" John yelped, glaring accusingly at Aidan. "'Ow do you know what that means!"

"Chill out, John," Aidan said, "everyone except Piotr knows what an ONS is."

"I am so sorry I am so far out of the loop," Piotr said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, shut up," Feryal said. "Let the sexy Irishman finish. So, this is the part where Remy takes Jennie back to the mansion?"

"Aye."

"God!" Feryal yelped. "I feel just like Nancy Drew!"

"Colonel Mustard, in the Billiard Room, with a candlestick," Aidan muttered beneath her breath.

Sheridan smirked and continued. "The mansion wasn't rhally the right place t'bring the lass. Jen din'na get on too well with Jean 'n Specky-Four-Eyes. T'be candid with ye, I think Jen's got a wee bit of'a control issue, but, faith, that's just me opinion."

"You've got a point," Aidan said.

"Yeah," Feryal agreed. "I've noticed it, too."

"Rhally? Good. I thought I was th'only one…"

"Get on with it," Piotr growled.

"Aye, right. Anyway, whar was I? Oh, aye, Jen at the mansion… Not the best place t'bring the lass. Not only were Jean and Specky-Four-Eyes a problem, Rogue 'n I were also around quite a lot too. Jen thought Rem was over his last lass, but—"

"But he **_wasn't_**!" Feryal yelled, jumping up from the couch, finger pointing in the air.

Piotr grabbed her by the belt loop and yanked her back down. "Sit down. You are an embarrassment."

"Yeah," John agreed. "Why didn't y'jump up like 'at when I was talkin'?"

"Sure, John, like you're one to talk about being an embarrassment," Feryal shot back.

"Guys, calm down," Aidan said, trying to be the voice of reason. "I wanna know just as bad as you all how this little shindig went down, but ya gotta **SHUT UP** and let Sheridan finish or we'll never know."

"All he is saying is useless propaganda and—" Piotr tried.

Aidan held up her index finger. "Ah-ah. Let him finish."

"Thank ye, lass." Sheridan turned his head toward Feryal. "Yer right. Rem wasn't over Rogue like Jen thought. He kept tryin' t'talk to her and hang out with her like a wee lost pup. The fights 'tween the two lovebirds, and I use that term loosely, warn't all that great either. Somethin' was always wet or smoking…"

"Sounds kinda like 'is place…" St. John muttered.

"Yeah," Feryal agreed, "but you're always the reason for the smoke."

St. John nodded in agreement.

"So, now what?" Aidan asked, glancing at Sheridan.

"Y'mean now that I'm tied up or now what happens next in th'story?"

"Want me to re-duct tape you?" Aidan glared. "You know what I mean, smart-ass."

"Aye, right… So, then thar was the fight."

"The fight?" Feryal questioned. "You mean the one where you kicked Remy's ass?"

"Yep," Sheridan smirked. "T'wasn't rhally all that fun, t'be honest with ye. Rem was quite good 'n I had me own bit o'trouble tryin' t'win. But in the end, Rem did lose… Aye, lost the battle and his lass."

"Well, that sucks…" Aidan said. "No wonder he's so pissed at you."

"Yeah," Feryal agreed. "I mean, if I was him and you took Rogue completely out of the picture, I'd still be pissed…"

"Even after two years?" Piotr questioned.

"As a woman: yes. But Remy, nah, he should probably be over it or forgotten it by now."

"Anyway, please continue," Aidan said, steering the conversation back to Sheridan.

"That's about it, lass. I rhally don't know much about the Florence Nightingale syndrome. That all took place here, not at the mansion."

"So," Aidan said, putting the puzzle pieces together in her head. "There're still a few things I don't understand. When and why did you and Rogue break up? Did you even break up at all? And why come back to tick off Remy now?"


End file.
